Bed-bottom



N. PETERS. PHOTOvLITNoGRA PH En WASH UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

B. GRIFFIN, 0F LAWRENCE, MASSACHUSETTS.

BED-BOTTOM.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 20,486, dated June 8, 1858.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN GRIFFIN, of Lawrence, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bed- Bottoms, the nature of which I hereby declare to be fully describedin the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, to which the specification and letters refer.

Of the drawings Figure l, denotes a top view of a bedstead frame with my improved bed bottom applied thereto. Fig. 2, represent a sideA elevation of the same; Fig. 8, a transverse section of it.

Of the drawings O, O, denote the side rails, and P, P, the head and foot rails of a common bedstead having my bed bottom applied to it.

B, B, denote the spring slats.

A, A, denote the metal spring upon which the slats are confined.

D, D, denote the mortise bars applied to the head and foot rails, and having the lifter spring attached to them as will be hereafter described.

I make each slat, B, B, from a thin piece of wood, and instead of making it uniform in width, I make it widest in the middle and tapering to the opposite ends as seen particularly in Fig. 4c. This is done to cause the slat to spring equally instead of depressing the most in the middle as it would where the slat is made of equal width throughout. In thus applying the slat in this form, I obtain a much more elastic, and equal spring, than can be obtained from any other sl at now in use.

The springs, A, A, are made of aflat piece of metal, and in form substantially as seen in Figs. 2 and 5, the latter figure denoting a section of the spring and slat, B, each spring resting nearly vertically over the slat B, and having the link, c, connected to its upper end. The springs are curved, so that while the slat can play freely to and fro, they are prevented from slipping out by abutting against the spring as will readily be understood.

The link is made in form open at the top as seen in the drawings of letter, 0, and the short ends to be confined to the upper end mortises, arranged to receive the lower ends of the spring.

In applying my bed bottom to any kind 0f bedsteads I bolt the mortise bars, D, D, to the rails opposite as seen in Fig. 2. I then place in one of the bars the lower end of the spring in the said mortise. then put one end of the slat into the link attached to the said spring. I then take a spring and slip the other end of the slat into said link, and then insert the lower end of the spring intoV the opposite bar, which constitutes t-he construction and manner of applying my bed bottom, and its advantages are numerous.

By making the springs so as to be inserted into the mortise bars, and having these bars so easily attached to any kind of bedstead, and the slats so easily fitted and applied to any size bedstead; thus rendering it portable, economical, useful and strong; and obtaining from the slat thus formed and in connection with the spring, a greater amount of elastic spring than from any bed-bottom made of slats known. No ingenuity is required in applying my bedbottom to any common form or size of bedstead. The mortise bars can be easily made of any length required for a particular bedstead; the slats can be made of a given length and can be shortened, and fitted leaving a play of two or three inches in length, without coming out if circumstances should require.

Having thus described my invention I claim- The mortise bar, the open link, the lifter spring with the 'tapered sla-t when co1n- BENJAMIN GRIFFIN. [1.. 5.]

In presence of- .IAMEs H. BARKER, JAMES L. BAKKER. 

